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Saturday, October 18, 2008 3:00 AM Tolson vies with political newcomer for legislative seat By Matt Shaw | Times Staff Writer Across North Carolina, Republicans and Democrats are slugging it out for control of the N.C. General Assembly next year. Nearly 100 seats are up for grabs this election. At least one political observer thinks Senate President Pro-tem Marc Basnight, one of the state's most powerful politicians for nearly 20 years, could lose his majority and rank in January. Alas for local political junkies, Wilsonians only have one local race, only half of us get to vote in it, and it's been a low-key affair so far. In the 23rd District, N.C. Rep. Joe Tolson, a Pinetops Democrat, is running for his seventh term. A retired teacher and Edgecombe Community College vice president, Tolson has worked to improve technology in schools, particularly allowing students in rural areas access to the same classes and resources as the urban kids. He has also been one of the House's budget writers, primarily focused on education. His Republican challenger is Garland Shepheard, a semiretired Tarboro car dealer making his first run for office. Shepheard has said he is running to fulfill four basic promises: better roads, better health care, better education and lower taxes. So far, the campaigns have been content to use fundraisers and party events, direct mail and yard signs. The two candidates have not appeared frequently in Wilson. The 23rd District is split fairly evenly between Wilson and Edgecombe counties. Votership is around 66 percent Democrat, 25 percent Republican and 9 percent unaffiliated. In Wilson, it includes voters in these precincts: Black Creek, Crossroads, Gardners, Old Fields, Saratoga, Spring Hill, Stantonsburg, Taylors, Wilson I (Agriculture Center) and Wilson J (Health Department). The rest of Wilson is in the 24th District, represented by Jean Farmer-Butterfield. The Wilson Democrat will begin her fourth term in January. Nash and Wilson counties are in the N.C. Senate's 11th District. A.B. Swindell, a Nashville Democrat, has served four terms. His Republican opponent dropped out and the party was unable to line up a replacement. The quiet situation in Wilson isn't true statewide. All 50 members of the N.C. Senate and 120 members of the House come up for re-election every two years. Democrats had a 31-19 advantage in the Senate and 68-52 in the House during this summer's session. This fall, 11 Democrats and 10 Republicans in the Senate are unopposed for election, meaning there are 29 contested races. John Davis, former director of NCFREE, predicted recently that the Senate is vulnerable this year to a GOP takeover. He pointed to controversies surrounding a handful of Senate members. For example, Sen. Julia Bozeman of New Hanover County has been in the news this year for not paying her home mortgage or taxes and admitted in court papers to using illegal drugs in 2003. Davis also pointed to the 5th District, which includes half of Wayne County, all of Greene and a portion of Pitt. John Kerr, a long-time senator from Goldsboro and a close Basnight ally, announced plans last spring to step down. Competing for the seat are Republican Louis Pate of Mount Olive, now a N.C. House member, and Democrat Don Davis, current mayor of Snow Hill. In the N.C. House, 32 Democrats and 20 Republicans are unopposed. That means Democrats are more than halfway to a majority before a vote is counted. mshaw@wilsontimes.com | 265-7878 ============================================================ N.C. House, 23rd District DEMOCRAT JOE TOLSON Age: 67 Residence: Pinetops Political background: N.C. House member since 1997 Other background: Retired teacher and vice president at Edgecombe Community College Family: Wife, Janice; three adult children Website: None REPUBLICAN GARLAND SHEPHEARD Age: 62 Residence: Tarboro Political background: Making first run for office Other background: Semi-retired from Team Ford in Tarboro where he was a sales manager Family: Wife, Betty Jo Shepheard, who works in U.S. Sen. Richard Burr's eastern N.C. office Website: None |
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